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How Can I Treat A White Spot Left After a Pimple?
asked 8 months ago by JHGuru in Columbus, OH
Latest answer by F. Victor Rueckl, MD
Question viewed 145 times
Tags: options, pimples, retinoids, white spots
Will this go away? Should I use a retinoid in that area to try and revive the pigment? Would this happen to be common? This pimple is probably a few weeks old so its below the skin but I can see some of the darker pigmented color of it inside/touching the white spot. The white spot is not super large but I would like for it to go away. Will the retinoid make it worse? Also if it doesn't go away in a while can a laser help? Anything, I mean it was not a really bad pimple.
3 answers to How Can I Treat A White Spot Left After a Pimple?
+2
White spots after blemish
The retinoid may help. It will not make it worse. Latisse, the eyelash product, has also been shown to repigment so you could also try that. Non ablative fraxtional laser is your best bet if the problem persists.
Jacqueline Calkin, MD
Sacramento Dermatologic Surgeon
Sacramento Dermatologic Surgeon
+1
White Spot after Pimple
White spots like this can come after a pimple, lesion, or other removal. They are hypo- (white) or hyper- (darkened) pigmentations. First of all, time can help, and I wouldn't do anything to it for 6 months. Retinoids can help lighten some of the surrounding skin which can make the lightened spot less obvious. Repigmenting the skin is very difficult, and I've really only seen permanent cosmetics help with this. Lasers, again, will help even out the rest of the skin tone making that...
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+1
Skin hypo-pigmentation after acne
Acne is an inflammatory condition and when an active lesion (papule, pustule -commonly referred as a pimple) resolves it might leave hyper- or hypo-pigmented area. This is called post-inflammatory pigmentation disorder associated with excess gain of pigment or loss of it. The former tends to be more persistent, whereas the latter tends to get better with time. No specific therapy is required, use sun blocking cream to avoid a white spot becoming too dark when pigment comes back.
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